In the weekly Freedom of Speech Roundup, Sampsonia Way presents some of the week’s top news on freedom of expression, journalists in danger, artists in exile, and banned literature. In this week’s Freedom of Speech Roundup, […]

Ai Weiwei’s mother, Gao Ying, spoke to the press about the artist’s release last week after 81 days of unlawful detention by the Chinese Communist Party. Here is a transcript of the television interview.

Chinese hackers have attacked Change.org, the site hosting a petition in support of detained Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. I personally signed the petition one week ago, and this is the email that the Change.org sent to me and other signers today.

Ai Weiwei was scheduled to visit Pittsburgh in May. His installation “Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads,” is set to open at The Warhol Museum in 2012. Eric Shiner, The Warhol’s Acting Director, talked to SW about Ai Weiwei, the installation, and the artist’s relationship to Andy Warhol.

Larry Siems, Director of the PEN American Center’s Freedom to Write program, talked to Sampsonia Way about the current state of affairs in China, the mainstream media’s coverage, and the ways our readers can support freedom of expression in China.

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About Sampsonia Way

Sampsonia Way is an online magazine sponsored by City of Asylum/Pittsburgh that seeks to protect and advocate for writers who may be endangered, to educate the public about threats to writers and literary expression, and to create a community in which endangered writers thrive and literary culture is a valued part of life.